Week 1
The task set for the first CoLab seminar was to complete a walk on a route of our choice and record it through the use of drawings, photos or an alternative media. The walk I decided to record was my usual walk from New Street Station into work. This walk takes me down Navigation Street towards the Mailbox, past the Axis Building and onto Holliday Street where my office is located.
I used photographs to record my walk, and although I concentrated on what was around me more than usual when doing the walk, there was no real stand out changes from what I already knew was there. This may be due to the fact I have completed that particular walk so many times before.
One aspect I did think about was the amount of development in Birmingham, especially around Holliday Street in Centenary Square, where I previously used the Hyatt to direct people asking for directions towards Broad Street – but due to the amount of development I may no longer be able to use the Hyatt as a key visual landmark in the future. The rate of change in this area is at a very high rate and may be an interesting aspect to look at in more detail for this project.
Week 2
This week we went on a group walk around Birmingham. The route we took began at Millennium Point and took us through Digbeth, The Bullring, New Street, St. Phillip’s Square, Victoria Square, Brindley Place, the Mailbox and we finished the route at New Street Station.
The main purpose of the walk was to look at the city in a different light to how we usually experience it, thinking of the city as a tourist, rather than a student or a professional that works in the city. I noticed the amount of variation of architectural styles in Birmingham and how some areas closely resemble other cities in the world such as Colmore Row’s resemblance to Paris.
Similar to my walk for the 1st session, the amount of development within the city was easy to see in multiple locations along the walk.
Week 3
This week we discussed potential ideas to develop towards a publication.
Key Questions…
What makes Birmingham individual and what is the essence of Birmingham?
What does Birmingham represent?
Where could you find the publication?
What sort of Publication can you produce? (travel guide/postcards/magazine etc.)
We also watched ‘Reyner Banham loves Los Angeles’, which was an insightful tv show on how he looks at the city in a different way from the usual tourist. He analysed the city in a very straight forward and honest way. He focused on the good and bad aspects of the city, the parts of the city that will soon no longer be there and public and private zones.
Leigh Davies.
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